2018 Yamaha Motorsports Activities

February 15, 2018—Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) is actively engaged in racing efforts all over the world in order to develop technologies and personnel under three main principles: raising the value of the Yamaha brand, acquiring advanced technologies and promoting the healthy spread of racing.

In MotoGP last season, Yamaha notched up its 500th Grand Prix victory since it began racing in the World Championship in 1961, with Maverick Viñales finishing the season in 3rd while was ranked 5th. Other achievements included the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team lifting the Endurance World Championship (EWC) title at the series’ finale, where the Yamaha Factory Racing Team also took victory for the third year in a row—a first for Yamaha.

Starting in Asia since 2015, Yamaha has also continued its efforts to develop young riders by creating a tiered step-up structure with the goal of allowing aspiring riders, no matter where they are from, to make their way to the top of motorcycle racing. As a result, riders who showed promise in the All Japan Road Race Championship and the Asia Championship (ARRC) last season have begun entering European road racing categories, demonstrating steady forward progress.

Under the three basic principles, Yamaha will once again engage in motorsports in 2018 with a global perspective, aiming to take numerous victories and communicate our “Revs your Heart” brand slogan.

The text and images for this release can be downloaded from the URL below. https://www.image.net/yamaha_ms_media_conference_2018

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Motor Sports Strategy Division

Headquarters: 2500 Shingai, Iwata-city, Shizuoka 438-8501, Japan TEL: +81-538-37-4025 FAX: +81-538-32-3186 https://global.yamaha-motor.com/race/ Road Racing

In the MotoGP World Championship in 2017, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP factory team clinched Yamaha’s 500th GP win. Maverick Viñales achieved a personal-best season finish of 3rd while his teammate Valentino Rossi took one victory among his six podium finishes on his way to 5th overall. Both riders will once again be on the starting grid in 2018.

The Monster Yamaha satellite team will field three-time podium finisher, Rookie of the Year and 6th ranked . As Jonas Folger has withdrawn from competing this season, Zarco’s teammate will be Moto2 podium finisher Hafizh Syahrin, who will be making his MotoGP debut this year. All four Yamaha riders and both teams will be using the YZR-M1, aiming to win the Triple Crown for Yamaha in 2018.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team is set to contest the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in 2018 with riders Alex Lowes and . Last season both stood on the podium as Lowes finished 5th overall and van der Mark 6th. They also played a major role riding for Yamaha Factory Racing Team in the Suzuka 8 Hours, where they helped Yamaha take its first-ever third consecutive victory. In 2018 they will take to the track on the potent YZF-R1 superbike—now in its third season in the class—in a bid to win the WorldSBK title for Yamaha for the first time since 2009.

Yamaha will also participate in the FIM World Supersport Championship (WorldSSP) with the GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team fielding the latest YZF-R6 and reigning champion Lucas Mahias, who took two wins among his eight podiums on his way to the title. Alongside him will be Federico Caricasulo, who finished last season ranked 5th, and 2017 World Supersport 300 (WSSP300) title runner-up Alfonso Coppola as they look to bring Yamaha back-to-back titles.

The Endurance World Championship (EWC) is already underway with the Bol d’Or held in September 2017. Having won their third title last year and the first race of the season already, the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team are aiming for another crown while the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, which ranked third last season, will again be lined up alongside them on the grid.

To further the development of the endurance-spec YZF-R1 as well as aim for a consecutive EWC title for Yamaha, Takuya Fujita, who was on the Yamalube Racing Team (Yamaha’s All Japan youth development team) last season in the premier All Japan JSB1000 class, will make the step up to the world stage as a member of the YART team beginning from the second round of the season.

In the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship, , who won successive Superbike titles in 2015 and 2016 and ranked 3rd last season, will be joined by 2016–2017 Supersport champion Garrett Gerloff. Both will be riding the YZF-R1 on the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing team.

The Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) is a vital part of Yamaha’s bid to develop young riders, and Yuki Ito and Keminth Kubo will again contest the premier SuperSports 600 (SS600) class aboard the YZF-R6 as Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN. Last season Ito came very close to lifting the title but finished 4th, while rookie challenger Kubo finished 17th. Just as last season, Yamaha will be focused on clinching the title while developing its two riders.

Held before each SS600 class race, the Asia Production 250 (AP250) class will feature Yamaha teams managed by local subsidiaries. Yamaha will be working to develop its riders through various avenues of support for them to make the next step in their racing careers to Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN or other higher classes.

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp held in cooperation with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Riders Academy will be held once again in 2018.

2 First started in 2016, over the previous four times the Camp has been held in the past two years, 23 riders from 12 different countries around the world—primarily from Asia—were selected to participate. Of those, Thai rider Apiwat Wongthananon joined the VR46 Master Camp Team in last year’s FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, and will remain with the team to compete again in 2018. Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama will also make his full season debut in the World Supersport 300 class as Coppola makes the step up to the World Supersport Championship, reflecting the positive results already being achieved in Yamaha’s endeavours to discover and develop new talents.

Motocross/Supercross

In the World Championship, last season’s 6th ranked Romain Febvre and 7th ranked Jeremy Van Horebeek will ride once again for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team aboard the factory-spec YZ450FM as they aim to take the premier-class title.

In addition, the Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team will field a three-man team with Shaun Simpson and Arnaud Tonus joined by MX2 championship runner-up Jeremy Seewer as he makes the step up to MXGP competition. All three will ride the YZ450F.

In the MX2 class, Vsevolod Brylyakov and Jago Geerts are joined by Ben Watson in the Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team, all riding the YZ250F with their eyes on taking the championship win.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team’s riders in the AMA Supercross Championship’s premier 450cc class, which got started in January earlier this year, are young talent Cooper Webb—now in his second season in 450s—and class veteran Justin Barcia, who returns to Yamaha for the first time since 2015. Both are contesting the championship aboard the all- new 2018 YZ450F.

The Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing team and other entries are participating in both the East and West Division 250cc Supercross championships aiming for their respective titles with the YZ250F.

For the AMA Motocross Championship season that gets underway in May, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team will compete aboard the 2018 YZ450F in the pinnacle 450cc class. Its rider line-up will be the same as in Supercross with Cooper Webb and Justin Barcia taking on the challenge.

The 250cc class will also have the Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing team and other entries on the roster running YZ250F machines.

Enduro

In the Enduro World Championship, the Outsiders Yamaha Official Enduro Team keeps the same rider line-up as last season, with Loic Larrieu competing on the WR450F in the EnduroGP class and Jamie McCanney on the WR250F in the Enduro 2 class.

3 Main Yamaha Race Teams for 2018

Road Racing Rider(s) Team(s) Machine

MotoGP World Championship

Maverick Viñales Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Valentino Rossi YZR-M1 Johann Zarco Monster Yamaha Tech3 Hafizh Syahrin

FIM World Superbike Championship

Alex Lowes Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team YZF-R1 Michael van der Mark

FIM World Supersport Championship Lucas Mahias Federico Caricasulo GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team YZF-R6 Alfonso Coppola

FIM Endurance World Championship David Checa GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Niccolò Canepa YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Marvin Fritz YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Takuya Fujita

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Race Championship

Cameron Beaubier Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha YZF-R1 Garrett Gerloff Factory Racing

4 Rider(s) Team(s) Machine

Asia Road Racing Championship: SS600 Class

Yuki Ito Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN Keminth Kubo

Decha Kraisart Yamaha Thailand Racing Team YZF-R6 Chalermpol Polamai

Kasma Daniel Kasmayudin Hong Leong Yamaha Malaysia Mohd Ramdan Bin Mohd Rosli

Asia Road Racing Championship: AP250 Class Anupab Sarmoon Peerapong Boonlert Yamaha Thailand Racing Team Kanatat Jaiman YZF-R25 Richard Taroreh Yamaha Racing Indonesia Mohd Faeroz

Asia Road Racing Championship: UB150 Class Jupiter Wahyu Aji Trilaksana Yamaha Racing Indonesia MX KING

5 Motocross/Supercross Rider(s) Team(s) Machine

FIM MXGP World Championship

Romain Febvre Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP YZ450FM Jeremy Van Horebeek Team

Shaun Simpson Jeremy Seewer Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP Team YZ450F Arnaud Tonus

FIM MX2 World Championship Vsevolod Brylyakov Ben Watson Kemea Yamaha Official MX2 Team YZ250F Jago Geerts

AMA Supercross: 450cc Class

Cooper Webb Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team YZ450F Justin Barcia

AMA Supercross: 250cc Class Aaron Plessinger Dylan Ferrandis Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Colt Nichols YZ250F Racing Mitchell Oldenburg Justin Cooper

AMA Motocross: 450cc Class

Cooper Webb Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team YZ450F Justin Barcia

AMA Motocross: 250cc Class Aaron Plessinger Dylan Ferrandis Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Colt Nichols YZ250F Racing Mitchell Oldenburg Justin Cooper

Enduro Rider(s) Team(s) Machine

FIM Enduro World Championships: EnduroGP

Loic Larrieu Outsiders Yamaha Official Enduro Team WR450F

FIM Enduro World Championships: Enduro 2

Jamie McCanney Outsiders Yamaha Official Enduro Team WR250F

6 2018 Rider Profiles

Road Racing

MotoGP World Championship

Maverick Viñales Nationality: Spanish Born: Jan. 12, 1995 Racing team: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Racing career 2011: 3rd in MotoGP World Championship 125cc class 2012: 3rd in Moto3 World Championship 2013: Moto3 World Champion 2014: 3rd in Moto2 World Championship 2015: 12th in MotoGP World Championship 2016: 4th in MotoGP World Championship 2017: 3rd in MotoGP World Championship

Valentino Rossi Nationality: Italian Born: Feb. 16, 1979 Racing team: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Racing career 1996: 9th in MotoGP World Championship 125cc class 1997: MotoGP World Champion, 125cc class 1998: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 250cc class 1999: MotoGP World Champion, 250cc class 2000: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 500cc class 2001: MotoGP World Champion, 500cc class 2002: MotoGP World Champion 2003: MotoGP World Champion 2004 MotoGP World Champion 2005: MotoGP World Champion 2006: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 2007: 3rd in MotoGP World Championship 2008: MotoGP World Champion 2009: MotoGP World Champion 2010: 3rd in MotoGP World Championship 2011: 7th in MotoGP World Championship 2012: 6th in MotoGP World Championship 2013: 4th in MotoGP World Championship

7 2014: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 2015: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 2016: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 2017: 5th in MotoGP World Championship

Johann Zarco Nationality: French Born: July 16, 1990 Racing team: Monster Yamaha Tech3 Racing career 2009: 20th in MotoGP World Championship 125cc class 2010: 11th in MotoGP World Championship 125cc class 2011: 2nd in MotoGP World Championship 125cc class 2012: 10th in Moto2 World Championship 2013: 9th in Moto2 World Championship 2014: 6th in Moto2 World Championship 2015: Moto2 World Champion 2016: Moto2 World Champion 2017: 6th in MotoGP World Championship

Hafizh Syahrin Nationality: Malaysian Born: May 5, 1994 Racing team: Monster Yamaha Tech3 Racing career 2010: 12th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 2011: 4th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 2012: 23rd in Moto2 World Championship 2013: 28th in Moto2 World Championship 2014: 19th in Moto2 World Championship 2015: 16th in Moto2 World Championship 2016: 9th in Moto2 World Championship 2017: 10th in Moto2 World Championship

8 World Superbike Championship

Alex Lowes Nationality: British Born: Sep. 14, 1990 Racing team: Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Racing career 2008: 16th in European Superstock 600 Championship 2009: 26th in European Superstock 1000 Championship 2010: 12th in British Supersport Championship 2011: 20th in British Superbike Championship 2012: 4th in British Superbike Championship 2013: British Superbike Champion 2014: 11th in World Superbike Championship 2015: 10th in World Superbike Championship 2016: 12th in World Superbike Championship 2017: 5th in World Superbike Championship

Michael van der Mark Nationality: Dutch Born: Oct. 26, 1992 Racing team: Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team Racing career 2010: 30th in European Superstock 600 Championship 2011: 3rd in European Superstock 600 Championship 2012: European Superstock 600 Champion 2013: 4th in World Supersport Championship 2014: World Supersport Champion 2015: 7th in World Superbike Championship 2016: 4th in World Superbike Championship 2017: 6th in World Superbike Championship

9 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Race Championship

Cameron Beaubier Nationality: American Born: Dec. 6, 1992 Racing team: Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing

Racing career 2015: MotoAmerica Superbike Champion 2016: MotoAmerica Superbike Champion 2017: 3rd in MotoAmerica Superbike

Garrett Gerloff Nationality: American Born: Aug. 1, 1995 Racing team: Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing

Racing career 2015: 3rd in MotoAmerica Supersport 2016: MotoAmerica Supersport Champion 2017: MotoAmerica Supersport Champion

10 Asia Road Racing Championship: SS600 Class

Yuki Ito Nationality: Japanese Born: Nov. 14, 1991 Racing team: Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN Racing career 2006: 19th in All Japan Road Race Championship 250cc class 2007: 12th in All Japan Road Race Championship 250cc class 2008: 9th in All Japan Road Race Championship 250cc class 2010: Entry in All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class 2011: 19th in All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class 2012: 5th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 12th in All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class 2013: 4th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 8th in All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class 2014: 2nd in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 12th in All Japan Road Race Championship ST600 class 2015: 4th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 16th in All Japan Road Race Championship JSB1000 class 2016: 13th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class 2017: 4th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class

Keminth Kubo Nationality: Thai Born: May 21, 1999 Racing team: Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN Racing career 2016: Motegi Road Racing Championship ST600 Champion 2017: 17th in Asia Road Racing Championship SS600 class

11 Motocross

MXGP World Championship

Romain Febvre Nationality: French Born: Dec. 31, 1991 Racing team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Racing career 2012: 13th in MX2 World Championship 2013: 12th in MX2 World Championship 2014: 3rd in MX2 World Championship 2015: MXGP World Champion 2016: 4th in MXGP World Championship 2017: 6th in MXGP World Championship

Jeremy Van Horebeek Nationality: Belgian Born: Nov. 28, 1989 Racing team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Racing career 2007: 16th in MX2 World Championship 2008: 8th in MX2 World Championship 2009: 11th in MX2 World Championship 2010: 9th in MX2 World Championship 2011: 17th in MX2 World Championship 2012: 3rd in MX2 World Championship 2013: 7th in MX1 World Championship 2014: 2nd in MXGP World Championship 2015: 5th in MXGP World Championship 2016: 6th in MXGP World Championship 2017: 7th in MXGP World Championship

12 AMA Supercross/Motocross Championships: 450cc Class

Cooper Webb Nationality: American Born: Oct. 11, 1995 Racing team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team Racing career 2014: 5th in AMA Supercross 250cc West Division 3rd in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2015: AMA Supercross 250cc West Division Champion 11th in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2016: AMA Supercross 250cc West Division Champion AMA Motocross 250cc class Champion 2017: 13th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 7th in AMA Motocross 450cc class

Justin Barcia Nationality: American Born: Mar. 25, 1992 Racing team: Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team Racing career 2009: 5th in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2010: 2nd in AMA Supercross Lites East Division 5th in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2011: AMA Supercross Lites East Division Champion 12th in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2012: AMA Supercross Lites East Division Champion 2rd in AMA Motocross 250cc class 2013: 4th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 3rd in AMA Motocross 450cc class 2014: 5th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 22th in AMA Motocross 450cc class 2015: 15th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 3rd in AMA Motocross 450cc class 2016: 21th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 4th in AMA Motocross 450cc class 201７: 17th in AMA Supercross 450cc class 13th in AMA Motocross 450cc class

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